Lil Wayne Brings Top-selling Act To Hampton

But for a surprising number of folks at Saturday's hip-hop show at the Hampton Coliseum, spending an evening with the man affectionately known as Weezy was a family affair.

"My daughter Danielle told me if I brought her here, she would never ask for anything again.

Now, do you believe that?" asked a smiling Dawnn Ball of Norfolk.

Mom gave 14-year-old Danielle a ticket to see Lil Wayne as a Christmas gift and brought along her 7-year-old sister and some friends, as well.

The tickets set mom back about $500, but she wasn't complaining.

"My girls are both honor students, and I couldn't say no when they're doing so well in school," Ball said. "It was worth it."

Saturday's show attracted about 8,000 -- a big crowd of hip-hop fans who came to enjoy one more night of celebration before heading back to school or work after the holidays.

For them, the show's timing was perfect.

Lil Wayne is definitely pop music's man of the hour. He's currently the nation's hottest rapper. His album "Tha Carter III" was the best-selling CD of 2008, and he was recently nominated for eight Grammys -- more than any other artist.

It can't hurt that the rapper is also something of a street-smartsex symbol.

Many in Saturday's heavily female crowd swooned hours before the tattooed rhyme master stepped on stage.

"His songs, the way he puts stuff in his rhymes is just crazy," said 15-year-old Chelsea Towles of Goochland. "He's original, he takes chances. I like that."

His looks are also part of the attraction.

"Oh, my God, yes. He's sexy," she said. "The tattoos just set it off."

Chelsea was standing on the floor of the Coliseum with her sister and her cousin. But her mom was in the house.

"Up there!" she said, pointing up into the cheaper seats.

In a time-honored tradition, parents and their kids went their separate ways in the Coliseum.

On the other hand, Gloucester's Darrell Evans was sticking close by his 13-year-old son, Brandon. Both father and son said they were fans of Lil Wayne's inspired madness.

"I like the positive themes," the father said. "Some of it is hard-core, but his lyrics are more positive than there were when he started out. He's really getting his recognition now."

Brandon said he admired Lil Wayne's famously twisted word play.

"He has good metaphors," Brandon said.

When the star of Saturday's show appeared about 9:40 p.m., he made a grand entrance. Amid puffs of smoke, blazing lights and nine giant video screens, he launched into hits, including "Got Money" and "Mr. Carter."

The enormous stage featured five platforms from which musicians played as they dangled from rafters over the stage. A guitarist, drummer, bassist and keyboard player rose and dropped like slow-motion yo-yos as Lil Wayne -- dressed in a white T-shirt and cargo shorts -- paced on the stage below.

Between songs, the rapper sounded surprisingly humble. He encouraged the crowd to cheer for the acts that appeared before him, including Keyshia Cole and T-Pain.

And, right from the beginning, he thanked his fans. He said, "I ain't (nothing) without you, so make some noise for what you created."